Unprecedented: 250 journalists gather in Kabul for second ASJF National Sport Journalists' Congress

The participants of the second National Sport Journalists' Congress in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo: ASJF)

by Zabihullah Shahzad, ASJF Member

KABUL, December
1, 2017 – The Afghanistan Sport Journalists Federation
held its second annual national Sport Journalists’ Congress on 30th
November 2017 in the International Center of Media and Information of the
government.

A total of 250 sport journalists from 34
provinces were present at the event, and for the first time speaker of the
Senate, Deputy President of Afghanistan Olympic committee, Minister of
Transport, Acting minister of Information and culture, Governor of Kabul
Province, Chairman of ACB, Deputy General Director of Afghanistan sport and
physical education directorate and top athletes.

ASJF president Sayer Zaland in his speech
thanked the journalists from around the country for being part of ASJF and the
second Sport Journalists’ Congress. “This is a big moment for me and for every
one of us that we are here to talk about our future and future of sport in
Afghanistan,” Zaland said.

He underlined
the achievement of the association during the past year and promised the
participants that they would work hard during the upcoming year to promote
sport media and the AIPS mission.

Zaland further
highlighted the problem of sport media and journalists in the country and asked
the sport organizations to support ASJF and sport journalists to work hard in
the future.

The ASJF
President addressed the congress and spoke about the future plans of ASJF to
professionalize sport journalism and organize different workshops for young
reporters.

He further
said the will work closely with sport organizations to solve problems between
sport journalists and the aimed organizations.

AIPS
President Gianni Merlo in a video message to Mr. Sayer Zaland and the ASJF,
called this congress as milestone for Afghan journalists.

Merlo added
that sport is education, something that unites people and something that help
people understanding each other better.

“Our aim is
to bring the new and old generation together and to talk about the plans and
problems and bring peace and professionality everywhere.

“ASJF president
Sayer Zaland is a young guy and with big feelings for the country and he can
succeed in beginning a new era and new milestone in the history of sport journalism
in Afghanistan,” the AIPS President added.

Speaker of
Senate Mr. Fazal Hadi Muslimyar also
expressed his support for ASJF and sport journalists and asked them to bring
their problems and that they would help in solving them.

Dad
Mohammad Payenda Akhtary, Vice president of the National Olympic Committee
acceped the problem of information and facilities for sport journalists in the
past and promised to help ASJF work for sport media.

After that the
Acting Minister of Information, Minister of transport, the Kabul governor,
Deputy Director of sport and physical education of Afghanistan all spoke to the
congress and expressed their help and support for ASJF for future programs.

Two Forums
one for media and one for sport, where also successfully held during the
congress with participants from top media and senior journalists, with representatives
from sport organizations addressing the questions of the media and giving
detailed reports about their activities.

In the
third session of the congress, sport organizations and sponsor companies held presentations.
This was followed by the official congress, where sport journalists took part
in an open discussion about the future of ASJF.

ASJF is the
only high official sport journalists’ body in the country having more than 123
member around 34 provinces from different media outlets.